attack of the mutant vowels

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

I just got back to the USA from teaching English in Novgorod and my students want to talk to me on icq. This is wonderful, but sometimes when they type Russian, I get a stream of crud that looks like this:

ëó÷øå âñåõ

The same sort of thing happens when I try to import, for instance, my Наутилус Помпилиус tracks onto iTunes. For another example, Тополиный Пух by Иванушкий International becomes:

Òîïîëèíûé ïóõ by Èâàíóøêè International

I know this is about text coding, but I don't know much about that kind of thing. Could one of you generous people help me?

Airline phrases

[david-us.livejournal.com]

I am an airline pilot and, on occasion, I have the opportunity to use what little Russian language skills I have to help a non-English speaking Russian passenger at the airport.

I was wondering if somebody, fluent in Russian, could tell me how a Russian would say these phrases. These are all related to things you might say at an airport.

"Just follow the signs to get to the baggage claim area."

"Do you need a motorized cart to get to your next gate?"

"What kind of assistance do you need?"

"What is your flight number?"

"Where did you fly in from?"

"What city are you flying to?"

"Are you making a connection?"

"I need to see your ticket."

"Are you traveling alone?"

* * * *

I think I could manage some of these. I'm mostly interested if there are specific words that are commonly used that I'm unaware of. For instance, I don't know what Russians use for "gate" - as in the area of the terminal where you get on your specific flight.

Also, how do Russians say "Flight Attendant"?

For an airline pilot, would they say "летчик" or "пилот"?

Oh, I could probably think of many more. If you have some handy airport phrases that you want to add - feel free!

Thanks!

David Emerling
Memphis, TN

Зачем или почему

[david-us.livejournal.com]

I see these words frequently and they seem to mean the same thing. I'm trying to understand how Russians use them. I think I might understand it now. I'm wondering if I got it correct.

A friend tells you that he has robbed a bank. You are shocked and can't understand why he did that.

You are more likely to ask, "Почему?"

A friend tells you that he is thinking about robbing a bank. You are shocked and can't understand why he would do such a thing.

You are more likely to ask, "Зачем?"

Is this correct? In the second example, would "Почему?" be acceptable?

If I got it all wrong, please correct me.

Thanks!

David Emerling
Memphis, TN

Advice please!

[ritmann.livejournal.com]

I know this is off topic and I understand if it is deleted, but...

I am flying on Monday to city called Perm in Russia. This is the first time I have very been to Russia and I am wondering is there any advice anyone can give for my visit. I will be there for 11 days. The reason I am going is to finally meet my future in laws and to attend the wedding of my fiance's sister.
Thank you in advance!